Located in South West London, Barnes sits on the River Thames and is home to a proper green, a duck pond, Georgian and Edwardian streets, independent shops, and a village atmosphere. For a day trip, you can start with coffee by the pond, wander the paths by the Thames, visit a boutique cinema where rock legends once recorded, and end your day with live music in a jazz pub. Barnes is the kind of place where you can plan a full itinerary, or turn up and trust the village to look after you.
The Outdoors
If you arrive in Barnes expecting a typical London suburb, the sheer amount of nature might catch you off guard. Barnes Common is often the first surprise. The land’s story began more than a thousand years ago, when the Manor of Barnes was given to the canons of St Paul’s Cathedral in 925. Today, runners use the common for a more interesting route than a flat park circuit, families use the open fields to play outdoor games, and walkers wander down towards the river, where the Thames Path offers long routes in either direction. The Barnes Trail, marked by silver discs in the pavements, weaves through the village, joining the river, the green, and the residential streets.
For those with an interest in birdwatching, the London Wetland Centre is a charity for wetlands and wildlife, and is a full nature reserve built on old reservoirs. Managed by the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, it offers a structured environment for observing wetland habitats in a city setting. The reserve includes freshwater lakes, grazing marsh, lagoons, and wetlands designed to support a wide range of native and migratory species, including herons, lapwings, kingfishers, ducks and geese.
The Arts
A village-sized patch of London shouldn’t, on paper, be able to offer nightly live music, a cinema with a recording-studio history, and a theatre producing everything from fringe plays to cabaret, yet Barnes does just that. Just a short walk from Barnes Bridge Station, The Bull’s Head has a Jazz Room that has welcomed musicians and music lovers for decades, with live jazz, soul, blues and funk on offer every evening. A short walk away is Olympic Studios, now a cinema but once a recording studio where legends like Led Zeppelin and The Beatles once worked. These days, the building is home to a beautiful two-screen cinema showing big releases and independent films that reward a smaller audience.
On Barnes Green sits the OSO Arts Centre, a former sorting office that has since become the village’s theatre and community hub. The OSO’s audience is a mix of long-time residents, families, creatives, and curious visitors wanting to catch a new small-scale play, a comedy night, a dance performance, or a lunchtime talk. There’s a real buzz to Barnes’s artistic scene, and it’s one of the few places in London where audiences still strike up conversations after performances.
Sports
Thanks to Barnes’s riverside position along the Championship Course of the Thames, rowing is fixed in the area’s identity. If visiting on Boat Race day, the riverbank near Barnes Bridge buzzes with supporters, and the pubs overflow with people eager to watch the crews powering by. Even if you’re not rowing-inclined, it’s impossible not to feel the energy that comes with being on one of the world’s most famous competitive waterways.
Beyond the river, Barnes has a strong local sporting community, with facilities such as Rocks Lane readily available. You’ll find tennis players filling the courts, padel enthusiasts chasing fast rallies, children playing football, and adults rediscovering netball enthusiasm after decades away. With coaching, social sessions, leagues and casual court bookings, Rocks Lane makes it easy to join the fun if you reserve in advance. Sporting options in the wider area include long runs through Barnes Common, cycling routes alongside the Thames, and Barnes Sports Club expands the offering even further with access to classic English sports such as cricket, hockey and tennis courts. Visitors might not initially choose Barnes for sport, but if you’re the kind of person who travels with trainers, you’ll find plenty to keep you moving.
Food and Drink
Barnes has long excelled at great pubs, and The Sun Inn is one of the pillars of Barnes Green. It’s a classic pub, and its location near the green gives it a village-square energy, with locals visiting post-dogwalks or shoppers dropping in after hitting the Saturday market. Independent establishments such as Riva Italian, Alma Café and Sam’s Riverside are widely known amongst many other bakeries, delis and restaurants on Barnes High Street and Church Road. Sonny’s Kitchen is another much-loved spot in the area and is co-owned by Michelin-starred chef Phil Howard.
The river attracts its own selection of pubs and restaurants, and a riverside drink here is one of the area’s simplest pleasures. If the weather allows, you can also assemble a very satisfying picnic from the local butchers, fishmongers and bakeries, with a coffee from one of the many high-quality roasters or cafés. Whether you’re in the mood for a pint with character, a Michelin star dinner, or a spontaneous picnic on the green, Barnes will feed you well.
Events
From its weekly farmers’ market to the annual Boat Race, the village has plenty on the calendar to keep locals and visitors busy. Held every July on Barnes Green, the Barnes Fair has the bustling feel of a proper village fête. There are stalls selling handmade goods, local suppliers selling homemade food, children queuing for old-school rides, and the bandstand hosts performances from local amateur groups.
The Barnes Children’s Literature Festival is another key moment in the year. What began in 2015 as a local cultural project has grown into one of the UK’s largest children’s book festivals, drawing authors, illustrators, performers and families for a weekend of talks, readings and workshops. It spreads across venues near the pond and the green, and the village fills with characters from storybooks brought to life by performers or enthusiastic young fans. When winter arrives, the Christmas Festival brings late-night shopping, lights, music, mulled wine and family-friendly events, often circling around White Hart Lane and the Olympic Studios. Shops stay open late, choirs pop up unexpectedly, and the entire village glows thanks to the community-run Christmas lights event.
Whether visiting for the river and the greenery, a jazz institution hidden behind a pub door, a boutique cinema with rock-and-roll history, or a village festival, you will discover that Barnes is a small area with an unusually rich mix of culture, nature, community and food to enjoy.
